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No-Bake Cherry Crisp

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"This luscious cherry crisp tastes just as good as any baked version out there, but it doesn't require you to turn on the oven at all. The whole shebang is made in a single skillet on the stovetop. Starting with frozen pitted cherries is super-convenient, saving the time of pitting fresh cherries and making this a fantastic year-round dessert. First you brown a topping of almonds, sugar, flour, and butter in the skillet, and then you set the topping aside and use the same pan to simmer the cherries with sugar, lemon juice, and almond and vanilla extracts. Some cornstarch thickens the filling to a syrupy consistency, and dried cherries soak up excess liquid while adding textural interest and even more intense cherry flavor. Simply sprinkle on the crispy topping at the end and let the crisp cool—if you can. For a final flourish, serve with whipped cream. You will need a 10-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid."

List of Ingredients

Topping:
â—¦ ¾ cup sliced almonds, divided
â—¦ â…” cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
â—¦ ¼ cup granulated sugar
â—¦ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
â—¦ â…“ cup granulated sugar, divided
â—¦ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
â—¦ 2 pounds frozen sweet cherries
â—¦ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon almond extract
â—¦ â…” cup dried cherries


Recipe

For the topping:
Finely chop ¼ cup almonds. Combine chopped almonds, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir in melted butter until mixture resembles wet sand and no dry flour remains.

Toast remaining ½ cup almonds in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add flour mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to plate to cool. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.

For the filling:
Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch in small bowl; set aside. Combine cherries, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, almond extract, and remaining sugar in now-empty skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until cherries release their juice, about 7 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Uncover, stir in dried cherries, and simmer until cherries are very tender, about 3 minutes.

Stir in cornstarch mixture and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, 1 to 3 minutes. Off heat, distribute topping evenly over filling. Return skillet to medium-low heat and cook until filling is bubbling around edges, about 3 minutes. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Serves 6